362 MALAGASY ''LOCAL PREACHERS.'* 



elevate the native pastors and teachers ; he holds frequent 

 classes at the chief villages, where, as from centres, the 

 greater part of the congregations can be influenced through 

 the more intelligent of the preachers ; and in this work the 

 advanced knowledge and Christianity of the members of the 

 city churches is a powerful auxiliary to the influence of 

 the missionary. Twice a year representatives from all the 

 Imerina congregations meet together in the capital, in a kind 

 of " Church Congress," or " Congregational Union," to discuss 

 important subjects connected with the welfare and prog'iess 

 and discipline of the churches. At these the debates are 

 perfectly open and free to all who attend ; and the habit of 

 thus freely discussing subjects often closely connected with 

 social life, as well as with church life, is having a powerful 

 effect in training the people to think and speak for themselves. 

 It cannot fail eventually to influence political matters, and 

 prepare the way for freer institutions than are practicable, or 

 even desirable, at the present time. 



A good deal has been done to raise up an instructed native 

 ministry. It has been felt from the first that upon this 

 greatly depends the future of Malagasy Christianity ; and 

 accordingly, for several years past, the most earnest and 

 intelligent of the young men have been selected, and have 

 received a good general and theological course of instruction 

 at the Missionary College. It may, therefore, be expected 

 that in process of time a trained and well-taught pastor or 

 evangelist may be placed in every village. Of course native 

 agency is largely made use of in the Malagasy churches ; 

 without this nine-tenths of the congregations would be left 

 without instruction, and a large body of " local preachers " is 

 therefore attached to each mother-church. These good men 

 preach extensively according to a printed " plan " in the 

 country district with which they are connected, and thus 

 they give a large amount of help to their less advanced zana- 

 piangdnana or " offspring of churches." 



The object of the London Missionary Society has been 

 from the first to draw out the self-help and liberality of its 

 converts and churches ; not to keep them in leading-strings like 

 children, or to do everything for them, but to encourage them 



